‘Stuck like Glue’: A Multi-method Analysis of Hafting Adhesives from Later Stone Age Assemblages in Southern Africa

Summary

The characterization of hafting adhesives, the glue of composite tools, by chemical analysis and microscopy provides a means by which we may evaluate the organic components of technologies. In southern Africa, the well-preserved assemblages of the Later Stone Age (LSA) present a unique opportunity to evaluate the procured raw materials related to tool manufacture, with a focus on the ingredients of these plastic components. This paper presents the findings of a multi-site study of hafting adhesives from the Holocene assemblages housed at the Albany Museum (Grahamstown, South Africa). Optical light microscopy (OLM), scanning electron microscopy/ energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and gas chromatography coupled mass spectrometry (GC-MS) are used in tandem to identify the botanical sources of adhesives and characterize any organic or inorganic additives. Based on the results obtained from this multi-analytical approach, I will attempt to identify changes or stability in adhesive recipes, and highlight how this contributes to both our understanding of plastic technologies and the narrative of adhesive manufacture in southern Africa.